Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire

The relationship between Louis and Lestat is an example of unbalanced power in a relationship. Lestat approached Louis when he was at his weakest, mourning the loss of his brother and feeling guilty for his brother’s death. Lestat uses that grief and tells Louis a bent view of what a vampire’s life is like in order to get him to join him. Once Louis was turned Lestat did everything in his power to keep Louis by his side, such as, withholding information and playing on Louis’ sense of morals and guilt by turning a young child, that Louis had recently fed on into a vampire. Knowing that Louis felt responsible for Claudia’s transformation, he’s obligated to stay. Unfortunately for Lestat the addition of Claudia caused his hold over Louis to slip. Claudia allowed for Louis to break away from Lestat, which alone he would have never of done, for who would Louis of gone to, he knows of no other vampires.

As the story evolves you begin to see the similarities along with the differences between Louis and Lestat. Louis lives in the past and not so much moving on. In the beginning of the story he can’t let go of his human emotions as seen by how he feels immense guilt for taking human blood without consent. Along with Louis’ conflicted feelings he is also trying to find a sense of purpose, by trying to figure out how and why vampires where created. Lestat is the complete opposite of Louis, Lestat lives in the moment not in the past. Lestat feels that the purpose of a vampire is to give into their primal urges and kill. Even though Lestat denies having human emotions saying “he left his past in the past”, he is actually quite lonely and feels that he has connected with Louis and would do anything to have him by his side, even after Louis paired up with Claudia and tried to murder him. During the end of the interview you see how much Louis has changed and how similar he acts like Lestat in the beginning of the interview. Louis has lost touch with his emotions feeling empty and feeling no remorse or care if the interviewer lives or dies after his attack.